For full proposals submitted via FastLane:
standard Grant Proposal Guide proposal preparation guidelines apply.
For full proposals submitted via Grants.gov:
the NSF Grants.gov Application Guide; A Guide for the Preparation and Submission of NSF Applications
via Grants.gov Guidelines applies.
(Note: The NSF Grants.gov Application Guide is available on the Grants.gov website and on the
NSF website at: http://www.nsf.gov/publications/pub_summ.jsp?ods_key=grantsgovguide)

Important Information for Proposers

A revised version of the NSF Proposal & Award Policies & Procedures Guide (PAPPG) (NSF 15-1), is
effective for proposals submitted, or due, on or after December 26, 2014. The PAPPG is consistent
with, and, implements the new Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit
Requirements for Federal Awards (Uniform Guidance) (2 CFR § 200). Please be advised that
the guidelines contained in NSF 15-1 apply to proposals submitted in response to this
funding opportunity.

DUE DATES

Full Proposal Target Date: September 3, 2015

September 3, Annually Thereafter

Full Proposal Target Date: February 2, 2016

February 2, Annually Thereafter

SYNOPSIS

Organizations -- private and public, established and entrepreneurial, designed and emergent, formal and informal, profit and nonprofit -- are critical to the well-being of nations and their citizens. They are of crucial importance for producing goods and services, creating value, providing jobs, and achieving social goals. The Science of Organizations (SoO) program funds basic research that yields a scientific evidence base for improving the design and emergence, development and deployment, and management and ultimate effectiveness of organizations of all kinds.

SoO funds research that advances our fundamental understanding of how organizations develop, form and operate. Successful SoO research proposals use scientific methods to develop and refine theories, to empirically test theories and frameworks, and to develop new measures and methods. Funded research is aimed at yielding generalizable insights that are of value to the business practitioner, policy-maker and research communities.

SoO welcomes any and all rigorous, scientific approaches that illuminate aspects of organizations as systems of coordination, management and governance.

In considering whether a particular project might be a candidate for consideration by SoO, please note:

Levels of analysis may include (but are not limited to) organizational, cross-organizational collaborations or relationships, and institutional and can address individuals, groups or teams.

Research methods may be qualitative and quantitative and may include (but are not limited to) archival analyses, surveys, simulation studies, experiments, comparative case studies, and network analyses.

Consistent with NSF merit review criteria, each SoO proposal should discuss both the intellectual merit and the potential broader impacts of the proposed research. SoO values basic research that has the potential to provide broader societal benefits. However, the majority of space in any proposal will need to be dedicated to the explication of theory, methods, and specific contribution to the evidence base about organizational effectiveness.

Projects that aim to implement and subsequently evaluate particular organizational training, effectiveness or change programs, rather than to advance fundamental, generalizable knowledge, are not appropriate for SoO.